The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-05
The Cullom Reagan Bill.

The Philadelphia Amersc1n having
ably stated the grievances of the public,
growing out of the unconscientious |
methods 50 common to railroad m anage-
ment in the United States, which it
terms the evils of unregulated railroad
traffic" asks the question, "Will the new
Cullom- Reagan bill suffice to correct
them p and answers: ave are satisfied
that it will not. 1t is jdst as defective
and impotent as are the State laws, al
though in the opposite direction. They
could not touch traffic which crossed
State lines; it touches no other traffic
than that. They iwere evaded by the
railroads. by sending freight across the
line and bringing it back again. 1t will
be evaded by stopping freight at the
STATE line, and making fresh contract
for its transportation across that line.
Nothing but uniform system of regu
lation for every sort Of freight contract
under our law will furnish solution Of
the problem"
But, says the american: "If every
State in the Union were to enact exactly
the same restrictions upon the railroads
as are found in this Cullom Reagan bill
that would furnish a clumsy but ap-
proximate solution of the problem
The true solution will be found only
by placing all commerce by the common
carrier under national control. 1t is
not the passage of law, but the submits
sion of constitutional amendment to
the States, which will constitute the dis
charge of Congress- duty to the coun-
try in this matter"
There is nothing palmer than that the
passage Of the Reagan-Cullom bill will
not suffice to correct the evils of railroad
management, unless it be supplemented
by State laws dealing with traffic within
the State. As suggested by the Amei-
can, any law of the United States on the
subject will be evaded 'by stopping
freight at the State line and making a
fresh contract for its transportation
across that line" Still there are many
persons, but mainly those like President
Clarke, of the Illinois Central, who do
not agreee that the private property of
railroad corporations ought to be med
died with any more than the property
of private persons, who sieze upon the
probable passage of the Cullom- Reagan
bill as pretext for declaring that State
regulation is worse than useless, because
1t costs few dollars in the shape of Of
fetal salaries
The following facts furnished The
CLARION by subscriber at Grenada,
make up case which could not be
reached by State legislation or by Con-
gress, but which could never occur with
the Cullom- Reagan bill and our present
State law both in force:
"a man living here went to San Anto-
MO, Texas, a few weeks ago, and bought
borhood The freight on the car load from
San Antonio to this point is about $l45 :;
but from San Antonio, by way of Grenada,
to Memphis, one hundred miles further,
only sos The trader, with view, in
some way, to get the ponies off at or near
Grenada route, took way bill to Mem
phis. When the train with the ponies
reached Canton the order was to feed them
at that point. The trader, however, pre-
vailed upon the officials to let him defer
feeding until they reached Grenada, where
he had corn and fodder of his own. When
the ponies reached Grenada they were car
ried to a wagon yard, between a quarter
and half mile away, to be fed, and in
fact not to be returned.
"The trader then consulted with an at
torney what further to do, and was advised
to tender the amount of the freight from
San Antonio to Memphis, and the amount
due the company for feed, in all, $l24.50,
fused to take the amount rendered. de-
manded payment of the local rate and feed
or a return of the ponies to be shipped to
Memphis. The trader was advised to in
form the agent of the railroad where the
ponies were and where they would be kept
a reasonable time in case the company
should wish to replevy them. No suit was
brought, but the company proposed, after
several days, to take the amount rendered
with the expressed stipulation in the re-
ceipt that they did not abandon or release
their claim to the local rate. Being well
satisfied that would lend the matter the
trader was advised to pay the money with
that understanding.
ITO have allowed the ponies to be carried
to Memphis and then to be brought back
on the railroad would have cost the local
rate from San Antonio to Grenada in all.
Il understand that traders at Walden,
thirty five miles south of Grenada, ship
car loads of stock from San Antonio to
Grenada for fifteen dollars less than they
can ship to Walden, thirty-6ve miles
nearer, and that they ship to Grenada and
drive the stock through the country to
V alden"